The New Zealand Players Mexico Must Be Wary of

Mexico and New Zealand are getting ready for a two-legged playoff to be held next month. Although El Tri have a stronger side—they sit 24th in the FIFA World Rankings, while the Kiwis rank 79th—there are some players that the team must be wary of.

Apparently, Miguel Herrera will not call the footballers that play abroad. After his team defeated Finland 4-2, the Mexican coach said in a presser:

"It is not that they are bad, they are very good players, but the trip is very taxing and arriving on (Nov.) 7, 8 or 9 to play on the 13th, they won’t finish adapting to the situation that we are looking for."

The current roster includes 22 players; Herrera will probably add a goalkeeper and that would be it.

Is it a good decision to leave out the footballers who play abroad?

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Is it a good decision to leave out the footballers who play abroad?

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El Tri had ball possession most of the game and played great through the flanks, especially the right one, where Paul Aguilar performed at a tremendous level.

However, if the match against Finland taught us something it was that the defense is Mexico’s weakest link.

The first goal scored on Mexico was the result of confusion. Francisco Rodriguez couldn't reject the ball properly and Juan Carlos Valenzuela just stood there without even trying to defend.

The second one came after Rafael Marquez failed to cover the ball correctly and instead was hoping to receive a foul. The Finish winger sent a cross that Valenzuela netted in his own goal.

The Nordic side had few goal opportunities, but they came either from set pieces or through balls and they put the defense in distress.

Physically speaking, New Zealand and Finland are very similar. Both have big and strong players that take advantage of their fitness to overpower their rivals, with runs through the flanks and sharp headers.

Knowing that Mexico is good with ball possession and recuperation, the Kiwis must make the most of these players: